ZR-1 laps Nurburgring in 7:26
NURBURG, Germany During testing this week at the Nrburgring Nordschleife, the supercharged 638-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 turned a lap of 7:26.4, quicker than the 7:29 set on April 16-17 by the Nissan GT-R, which is believed to be the lap record for a mass-produced sports car. Tadge Juechter, Corvette Chief Engineer, says, "The vehicle is exactly like the cars that will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and sold around the world later this summer."
The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has been testing at the Nrburgring over the last two weeks for final tuning before production begins later this summer. Development engineer Jim Mero drove the test car. Juechter reports, "Jim commented after the lap that conditions were good except for a strong headwind down the main straight and that the lap was solid, but he felt there were a few places he could have gone faster."
Just as with the recent Nrburgring attempt with the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, the GM development team made some efforts to ensure the car remained scrupulously stock. Though it featured a bar to locate a seatbelt harness, there was no roll cage to reinforce chassis rigidity. The ride height and chassis alignment were stock, the emissions gear met EPA standards and there was pump gas in the tank. The Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires have been developed for production, although they did carry a relatively soft tread-wear rating of 220.
Juechter notes, "The timed lap was run with a rolling start, a departure from our previous practice of standing starts. This is more aligned with current industry practice. The lap was electronically timed and confirmed with two handheld stopwatches."
An in-car video of the lap will be available after the Fourth of July holiday.
What this means to you: That sound you hear is the Nissan engineers loading a GT-R into a truck and heading for the Nrburgring. Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Inside Line
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=128071
NURBURG, Germany During testing this week at the Nrburgring Nordschleife, the supercharged 638-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 turned a lap of 7:26.4, quicker than the 7:29 set on April 16-17 by the Nissan GT-R, which is believed to be the lap record for a mass-produced sports car. Tadge Juechter, Corvette Chief Engineer, says, "The vehicle is exactly like the cars that will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and sold around the world later this summer."
The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has been testing at the Nrburgring over the last two weeks for final tuning before production begins later this summer. Development engineer Jim Mero drove the test car. Juechter reports, "Jim commented after the lap that conditions were good except for a strong headwind down the main straight and that the lap was solid, but he felt there were a few places he could have gone faster."
Just as with the recent Nrburgring attempt with the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, the GM development team made some efforts to ensure the car remained scrupulously stock. Though it featured a bar to locate a seatbelt harness, there was no roll cage to reinforce chassis rigidity. The ride height and chassis alignment were stock, the emissions gear met EPA standards and there was pump gas in the tank. The Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires have been developed for production, although they did carry a relatively soft tread-wear rating of 220.
Juechter notes, "The timed lap was run with a rolling start, a departure from our previous practice of standing starts. This is more aligned with current industry practice. The lap was electronically timed and confirmed with two handheld stopwatches."
An in-car video of the lap will be available after the Fourth of July holiday.
What this means to you: That sound you hear is the Nissan engineers loading a GT-R into a truck and heading for the Nrburgring. Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Inside Line
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=128071
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(which would still be my choice over either the nissan or the ZR-1).
